Structure—Function relationships of equine menisci

Abstract

Meniscal pathologies are among the most common injuries of the femorotibial joint in both human and equine patients. Pathological forces and ensuing injuries of the cranial horn of the equine medial meniscus are considered analogous to those observed in the human posterior medial horn. Biomechanical properties of human menisci are site- and depth- specific. However, the influence of equine meniscus topography and composition on its biomechanical properties is yet unknown. A better understanding of equine meniscus composition and biomechanics could advance not only veterinary therapies for meniscus degeneration or injuries, but also further substantiate the horse as suitable translational animal model for (human) meniscus tissue engineering. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the composition and structure of the equine knee meniscus in a site- and age-specific manner and their relationship with potential site-specific biomechanical properties. The meniscus architecture was investigated histologically. Biomechanical testing included evaluation of the shore hardness (SH), stiffness and energy loss of the menisci. The SH was found to be subjected to both age and site-specific changes, with an overall higher SH of the tibial meniscus surface and increase in SH with age. Stiffness and energy loss showed neither site nor age related significant differences. The macroscopic and histologic similarities between equine and human menisci described in this study, support continued research in this field.

Engineering self-assembled neomenisci through combination of matrix augmentation and directional remodeling

“…Neomenisci resembled native meniscus fibrocartilage [44 , 45] in terms of gross appearance ( Fig. 1 ) [45][46][47] . The characteristic wedge-shaped profile was maintained after 5 weeks of culture (Supplementary Fig.…”

Finite Element Modelling Simulated Meniscus Translocation and Deformation during Locomotion of the Equine Stifle

“…Furthermore, depth dependent fibril strains are considered to exhibit a fundamental role on tissue stresses [45]. Some human computational meniscus models have already incorporated collagen fibrils and anisotropic material properties to simulate the meniscus’ dynamic behavior [43,52,53,54] Hence, depth- and location specific histologic and mechanical properties will be adopted into the next generation of the FEA model based on data from our previous work [13,55]. Also the currently omitted stabilizing effect of ligaments and adjacent muscles should be included in future approaches.…”

Considerations for Translation of Tissue Engineered Fibrocartilage From Bench to Bedside

“…In addition, collagen fibers in an equine knee meniscus model were shown to be randomly organized in the distal and proximal surface layers [60,61] (Fig. 5(b)), while the innermost layer exhibited circumferentially aligned collagen fibers with parallel alignment in the redred region [60]. Polarized light microscopy [62] and scanning electron microscopy [56] showed that collagen aligned primarily circumferentially of the human and porcine TMJ discs, with the intermediate zone showing alignment anteroposteriorly (Fig.…”

“…5(c)). GAGs were evenly distributed throughout young equine menisci, whereas samples from older horses showed distinct positive and negative staining locations [60]. IHC determined the presence of hyaluronic acid backbone, keratan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate in the primate TMJ disc [57].…”

“…IHC determined the presence of hyaluronic acid backbone, keratan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate in the primate TMJ disc [57]. In addition, collagen fibers in an equine knee meniscus model were shown to be randomly organized in the distal and proximal surface layers [60,61] (Fig. 5(b)), while the innermost layer exhibited circumferentially aligned collagen fibers with parallel alignment in the redred region [60].…”